Alzheimer disease causes the gradual deterioration of cognitive function, including severe memory loss and impairments in abstraction and reasoning. Understanding the complex changes that occur in the brain as the disease progresses—including the accumulation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles—is critical for the development of successful therapeutic approaches.

Written and edited by leading experts in the field, this collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine includes contributions covering all aspects of Alzheimer disease, from our current molecular understanding to therapeutic agents that could be used to treat and, ultimately, prevent it. Contributors discuss the biochemistry and cell biology of amyloid β-protein precursor (APP), tau, presenilin, β-secretase, and apolipoprotein E and their involvement in Alzheimer disease. They also review the clinical, neuropathological, imaging, and biomarker phenotypes of the disease; genetic alterations associated with the disorder; and epidemiological insights into its causation and pathogenesis.

This comprehensive volume, which includes discussions of therapeutic strategies that are currently used or under development, is a vital reference for neurobiologists, cell biologists, pathologists, and other scientists pursuing the biological basis of Alzheimer disease, as well as investigators, clinicians, and students interested in its pathogenesis, treatment, and prevention.

Part of the outstanding Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine series, The Biology of Alzheimer Disease is a 375 page compendium knowledgeably compiled and deftly edited...and presents twenty-five major papers by experts in this specialized field and provides up-to-date information on every aspect of Alzheimer disease....A core and essential addition to academic and medical libraries, [it] is especially recommended reading for neurobiologists, cell biologists, pathologists, and anyone else in the medical community with a particular interest in Alzheimer disease research.
The Midwest Book Review

Anyone following the primary literature on Alzheimers disease research knows that keeping abreast of this rapidly evolving field has become a Herculean task. More and more data are being published on ever-diversifying lines of research, and they are not made any clearer by discrepancies among studies and debate about what is important. Its a challenge for newcomers and Alzheimerologists alike to see the big picture of what has been learned and where the field is heading....The Biology of Alzheimer Disease, published in 2012 by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, attempts to help with that....The editors and authors address a broad audience of people from across biomedical research, particularly students and junior researchers, but also investigators in related fields of science and those with a passing interest in Alzheimers...The total collection stands out for pulling together a broad swath of leading scientists internationally to work toward the shared goal of articulating what is the agreed-upon state of the art in their field.
Alzheimer Research Form